have from Heathen men Quest. But this Question may now be made How should we know that these bookes which wee have as written by Moses that these are they that there is no alteration in them or supposititious prophecies put in Answ. You have the Iewes agreeing with the Christians who were enemies and the Iewes kept it exactly yet theirs agree with ours Object But how should we know that the Iewes are true Answ. They have testimony from the Samaritans and they were enemies to the Iewes and there being once a rent made were never reconciled againe yet in the Samaritan Bible there is no difference at all to any purpose Now adde to this the testimony of the Churches from Christs time downward still it hath continued so as in Eusebius and Baronius you shall see plentifull testimonies thereof The third Argument is from the Scriptures themselves if you consider but these three things 1 The majestie and plainnesse of the stile and the manner of the expressions a meere relation and no more In the beginning was the Word c. Where doth any booke expresse it selfe in a manner in the relation of any stories So as that it carries evidence from God so that Iunius reading the first Chapter of Iohn was stricken with an amazement by a kinde of divine and stupendious authoritie and so he was converted from Atheisme as himselfe said in his life 2 If you consider the purity of the doctrine If a man would deceive the world then the things that he teaches must needs be to please men but the Scripture is quite contrary it ties men to strict rules and therefore see how it is etertained and how hard it is for men to keepe it in the purity of the doctrine which is an argument it came from God If the Scriptures were delivered by men then either by good men or by bad if by holy men then they would speake the truth and not lye if by bad men then they would never have set downe such strict rules of doctrine that they must live by and which condemne themselves 3 Consider the anâ—â—quitie of them they were before all other Heathen stories which will answer an objection namely why there is no more testimony from them of the Scriptures The answer is that when Scriptures ended their writings did but begin there being little use and trading of learning in those dayes but it seemes the Grecians were the first or rather the Chaldees but there were not so many bookes written then as afterward Now when all these things are considered we are brought to beleeve the Scriptures are the Word of God and you finde this in the Scriptures that there is a God that made Heaven and Earth then this begets faith and so By faith we beleeve as here saith the Apostle that there is one GOD. I confesse all this which hath beene said is not enough unlesse God infuseth an inward light by his Spirit to worke this faith but yet there is enough left in the Scriptures to give evidence of themselves THE FOVRTH SERMON HEBREWES 11.6 He that commeth to God must beleeve that God is c. THere is one reason more remains that is from the testimony of the Church doubtlesse it is an argument of great strength That so many generations since CHRISTS time and before have from hand to hand delivered it unto us and that so many holy men as the Martyrs were and as the Fathers were when they lived that these all gave testimony to this Scripture in all ages But yet we will adde something to it because the Papists have abused this and say they would have the truth of the Scriptures to depend upon the authority of the Church and not so much upon the testimony it hath received from all ages and generations they would have it to be such a testimony as the present Church gives of it because say they that can erre in nothing therefore not in this and therefore they say This is the Bible and the very Dictate of the Pope in cathedrâ with his Councell some say makes it so and you must receive it for Scripture upon this ground without any further inquiry But with us who doe not receive that conclusion that the Church cannot erre it is out of question that the Scripture doth not depend on the authoritie of the Church But yet we will give you this reason against it Aske that Church that Synod of men what is that which makes the Church to beleeve that the Scripture is the Word of God Surely they will give the same answer that we shall deliver vnto you that it could be nothing else but the Scripture it selfe which therefore must needs be of greater authoritie than the Church it selfe for the declaration of themselves and the Scriptures manifestation of this argument be of more force than the authority of the Church as the cause hath much more strength than the effect Againe the Church hath no authoritie to judge of the Scripture till it be knowne to be the Church which cannot be but by the Scripture Moreover the Scripture hath a testimony more ancient than the authoritie of the Church and therefore cannot receive its authoritie from any the Scripture being the first truth it cannot be proved by any other it is the confession of their owne Writers that Theologia non est argumentativa Theologie is not argumentative to prove its owne principles but only our deductions out of it As also they say we cannot prove the Scriptures probando sed solvendo by answering and resolving objections made against it In all other things you see it is so as the Standard that being the rule of all cannot be knowne but by it selfe the Sunne that shewes light to all things else cannot be knowne by any other light but its owne so the Scripture that is the ground of all other truths cannot be knowne but by the evidence of those truths that it carries in it selfe We have onely this word to be added more concerning the Scriptures You shall observe this difference betweene the Writings of the Scripture that were written by holy men inspired by the Holy Ghost and all mens Writings in the world In mens Writings you shall see that men are praised and extolled something spoken of their wisdome and of their courage and what acts they have done there is no story of any man but you shall finde something of his praise in it but you shall finde the quite contrary in the Booke of God there is nothing given to men but all to God himselfe as Moses David Paul and all the Worthies in the Scripture you shall finde nothing given to them But of David it is said that he walked wisely because the LORD was with him it was not his owne strength so when they had any victory it was not through their owne courage or stratagems that they used but the LORD did give their enemies into
such like motions it is done by working on their senses but come to man there are other actions of his understanding and will in the soule It is true indeed in a man there are fancie and appetite and these arise from the temper of the body therefore as the body hath a different temper so there are severall appetites dispositions and affections some man longs after one thing some after another but these are but the severall turnings of the sensuall appetite which is also seene in beasts therefore when the soule is gone these remaine no longer but come to the higher part of the soule the actions of the will and understanding of man and they are of an higher nature the acts which they doe have no dependance upon the body at all Besides come to the motions of the body the soule guides and moves the body as a Pilot doth a ship now the Pilot may be safe though the ship be split upon the rocke Looke on beasts they are led wholly as their appetite carries them and they must goe that way therefore they are not ruled as a Pilot governes a ship but in men their appetites would carry them hither or thither but the will saith no and that hath the understanding for its counseller So that the motions of the body arise not from the diversity of the sensuall appetites as in all other creatures but of the will and understanding for the soule depends not upon the body but the acts of the body depend upon it therefore when the body perisheth the soule dies not but as a man that dwels in a house if the house fall he hath no dependance on it but may goe away to another house so the soule hath no dependance upon the bodie at all therefore you must not think that it doth die when the body perisheth Besides the soule is not worne it is not weary as other things are the body is weary and the spirits are weary the body weares as doth a garment till it be wholly worne out now any thing that is not weary it cannot perish but in the very actions of the soule it selfe there is no wearinesse but whatsoever comes into the soule perfects it with a naturall perfection and it is the stronger for it therefore it cannot be subject to decay it cannot weare out as other things doe but the more notions it hath the more perfect it is the body indeed is weary with labour and the spirits are weary but the soule is not weary but in the immediate acts of it the soule it works still even when the body sleepeth Looke upon all the actions of the soule and they are independent and as their independencie growes so the soule growes younger and younger and stronger and stronger senescens juvenescit and is not subject to decay or mortalitie as you see in a Chicken it growes still and so the shell breakes and falls off so is it with the soule the body hangs on it but as a shell and when the soule is growne to perfection it falls away and the soule returnes to the Maker The next thing that I should come to is to shew you how this is made evident by faith When a man hath some rude thoughts of a thing and hath some reason for it he then begins to have some perswasion of it but when besides a man wise and true shall come and tell him it is so this addes much strength to his confidence for when you come to discerne this God-head and to know it by reasons from the creatures this may give you some perswasion but when one shall come and tell you out of the Scripture made by a wise and true God that it is so indeed this makes you confirmed in it Therefore the strength of the argument by faith you may gather after this manner Yee beleeve the Scriptures to be true and that they are the Word of God now this is contained in the Scriptures that God made Heaven and Earth therefore beleeving the Scriptures to be the Word of God and whatsoever is contained in them hence faith layes hold upon it also and so our consent growes strong and firme that there is a God After this manner you come to conclude it by faith For what is faith Faith is but when a thing is propounded to you even as an object set before the eye there is an habit of faith within that sees it what it is for faith is nothing else but a seeing of that which is for though a thing is not true because I beleeve it is so yet things first are and then I beleeve them Faith doth not beleeve things imaginary and such as have no ground but whatsoever faith beleeves it hath a being and the things we beleeve doe lye before the eye of reason sanctified and elevated by the eye of faith therefore Moses when he goes about to set downe the Scripture hee doth not prove things by reason but propounds them as In the beginning GOD made the Heaven and Earth he propounds the object and leaves it to the eye of faith to looke upon For the nature of faith is this God hath given to man an understanding facultie which we call Reason the object of this is all the truths that are delivered in the world whatsoever hath a being Now take all things that we are said to beleeve and they also are things that are and which are the true objects of the understanding and reason But the understanding hath objects of two sorts 1 Such as we may easily perceive as the eye of man doth the object that is before him 2 Such as we see with more difficulty and cannot doe it without something above the eye to elevate it As the candle and the bignesse of it the eye can see but to know the bignesse of the Sunne in the latitude of it you must have instruments of art to see it and you must measure it by degrees and so see it So is it here some things we may fully see by reason alone and those are such as lye before us and them wee may easily see but other things there are that though they are true yet they are more remote and further off therefore they are harder to bee seene and therefore we must have something to helpe our understanding to see them So that indeed Faith it is but the lifting up of the understanding by adding a new light to them and it and therefore they are said to be revealed not because they were not before as if the revealing of them gave a being unto them but even as a new light in the night discovers to us that which we did not see before and as a prospective glasse reveales to the eye that which we could not see before and by its owne power the eye could not reach unto So that the way to strengthen our selves by this argument is to beleeve the Scriptures and the things contained in them Now
you should see why we are to beleeve the Scriptures but this wee must leave till the next time We will now come to some use of the point for wee are not to dismisse you without some application but we must insert some uses here and there Vse 1 When you heare these arguments and this conclusion proving that there is a God the use you should make of it is to labour daily to strengthen our faith in this principle and to have an eye at God in all our actions for this is the reason given in the Text why one man comes to God because he beleeves that he is and another doth not because he beleeves it but by halves if they did beleeve this fully they would serve God with a perfect heart What is the reason that Moses breaks thorow all impediments he had temptations on both sides Prosperitie and preferment on the one side and adversity and afflictions on the other yet he passeth thorow wealth and povertie honour and dishonour and goes straight on in the way to heaven and 〈◊〉 reason is added in the Text because hee saw him that was invisible even so if you did see him that was invisible the God wee now speake of as you see a man that stands before you your wayes would be more even and wee should walke with him more uprightly than we doe if we did but beleeve that it is he that fills the heaven and earth as he saith of himselfe Ier. 23.24 Some may here say Object How can we see him that is invisible here is oppositum in adjecto to see him that is invisible Answ. Come to the body of a man you can see nothing but the outside the outward bulke and hide of the creature yet there is an immateriall invisible substance within that fils the body so come to the body of the world there is a God that fills Heaven and Earth as the soule doth the body Now to draw this a little nearer that invisible immateriall substance the soule of man which stands at the doores of the body and lookes out at the windows of the eyes and of the eares both to see and heare which yet wee see not yet it is this soule that doth all these for if the soule be once gone out of the house of the body the eye sees no more the eare heares no more than an house or chamber can see when there is no body in it and as it is the spirituall substance within the body that sees and heares and understands all so apply this to God that dwells in Heaven and Earth that as though you see not the soule yet every part of the body is full of it so if we looke into the world we see that it is filled and yet God like as the soule is in every place and fills it with his presence he is present with every creature he is in the aire and in your selves and seeth al your actions and heareth al your words and if we could bring our selves to a setled perswasion of this it would cause us to walke more evenly with God than we do and to converse with him after another manner when a man is present yea are sollicitous thinking what that soule thinkes of you how that soule is affected to you so if you beleeved God were in the world it would make you have an eye to him in all your actions as he hath an eye to you and to have a speciall care to please him in all things rather than to please men And this is the ground of all the difference betweene men One man beleeves it fully that there is such a mighty God another beleeves it but by halves and therefore one man hath a care only to please God in all things and to have an eye to him alone the other beleeving it but by halves he seeketh and earnestly followeth other things and is not so sollicitous what the Lord thinkes of him The thing therfore which we exhort you unto is that you would endevor to strengthen that principle more and more We speake not to Atheists now but to them that beleeve there is a God and yet we do not think our labour lost For though there be an assent to this truth in us yet it is such an one as may receive degrees and may be strengthened for I know that there are few perfect Atheists yet there are some degrees of Atheisme left in the best of Gods children which wee take not notice of for there is a two-fold Atheisme 1 One is when a man thinkes that there is no God and knowes he doth so 2 Another kinde of Atheisme is when a man doubts of the Deity and observes it not There are some degrees of doubting in the hearts of all men as we shall see by these effects that this untaken-notice-of Atheisme doth produce As when men shall avoid crosses rather than sinne not considering that the wrath and displeasure of God goes with it which is the greatest evill that can befall us What is the reason of it That whereas the greatest crosse is exceeding light if the wrath of God be put in the other ballance what is the reason that yet this should over-weigh the other in our apprehension if wee be fully perswaded of this principle that God made Heaven and earth What is the reason that when crosses and sinne come into competition as two severall wayes that we must goe one way why will men rather turne aside from a crosse to sinne against God and violate the peace of their consciences rather than undergoe losses or crosses or imprisonment Againe what is the reason that we are so readie to please and loth to displease men as a potent friend or enemie rather than God If this principle were fully beleeved that there is a God that made Heaven and Earth you would not doe so The Prophet Isaiah doth expresse this most elegantly Isai. 51.12 13 14. Who art thou that art afraid of man that shall die and the sonne of man which shal be made as grasse and forgettest the LORD thy Maker which stretched forth the Heavens and laid the foundation of the Earth As if he should say what Atheisme is this in the hearts of men Whence else are also those deceits lyes and shiftings to make things faire with men when they know that God is offended with it who seeth all things What is the reason that men are so sensible of outward shame more than of secret sinnes and care so much what men thinke of them and speake of them and not what God sees or knows Doth not this declare that men think as those Atheists of whom Iob speakes Iob 22. and doe they not conceive in some degree as those doe as if GOD did not descend beneath the circle of the heavens to the earth and his eyes were barred by the curtaines of the night that he did not take notice of the wayes of men and
expected some rest after his weary journey yet then his daughter was ravished and his two sonnes were rebellious and committed murther after that Rachel died and Deborah who was Rebeccah's nurse who was a good woman and therfore a great losse to his family after all this a famine fell upon him yet for all this God said that he would doe him good and doubtlesse God was as good as his word and hee did him good for that medicine is good that doth us good though it be bitter and so was it with these afflictions So Paul he prayed that he might have an happie journey to Rome and no doubt the LORD heard his prayer as appeareth by the Lords appearing to him yet see what a kinde of prosperous journey he had what a deale of trouble did he meet with Being in great afflictions he went to Ierusalem thinking there to be comforted by the Saints and when he came thither hee went into the Temple thinking he had well provided for himselfe but then he was hardly entertained put into prison and sent bound to Caesarea and afterwards was in many perils upon the sea And this was the prosperous journey that Paul had and surely it was happie and did much good to his owne soule whereby he did good to others a journey that led him into many experiments of Gods providence and goodnesse towards him therefore wee must not judge according to the outside or that which the world accounts of and appeares to be evill for they may be causes of much good to us therefore Saint Iames wils us Iames 1.2 3. to rejoyce when wee fall into divers temptations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it is but a triall of your faith These varieties of afflictions are as fire to cleanse your faith and make it shine more and grow more therefore saith he rejoyce when you fall into variety of them for the variety of them will cure that variety of evils and diseases in us as poverty may do that which sicknesse cannot do and imprisonment may heale that which povertie or disgrace cannot doe c. So on the contrary those good things are not alwayes good which we account good as when a man goes on from one good blessing to another and is carried with a prosperous wind and findes no change in any thing this may also tend to his hurt and destruction as the other to his salvation these slay the foolish even as the other save the godly for these often-times doe make the soule fouler and fouler and make it to be more rustie This want of changes makes men to depart from God and fall into evill whereas the other makes us the more carefully to cleanse our wayes and to cleave more firmely to him Therefore let us take heed that we be not deceived about these evils Object 5 What is the reason then that as dies the beast so doth man die to our appearance there are none that rise from the dead indeed if one should come from heaven or hell and bring us word what is done there wee should beleeve it but when did any ever heare of such a thing Answ. You have more than if a man should come from the dead from either of these two places for you have Christ come into the world from the bosome of the Father and he hath brought us newes what is done there Besides we have God himselfe who is as it were come from heaven and hath revealed many things unto us and hath declared his will what he would have us to doe as to Moses upon Mount Sinai and hee would have done it to this day but that our weaknesse cannot endure the mightinesse and greatnesse of his Majestie but would say as the people did Let not the Lord speake to us any more lest we die but let MOSES let him send his messengers let him speake no more Againe the Spirit whereby the Prophets and Apostles spake to us was it not sent from heaven Againe suppose one should come from either of those two places would you beleeve him It might be a false relation would you beleeve him without further ground But it is a direct answer which our Saviour giveth to this question Luke 16. the two last verses it was the objection of Dives if there came one from the dead againe they would beleeve it Abraham answers They have Moses and the Prophets and if they will not beleeve them they will not beleeve though one should come from the dead as if he should say these carry greater evidence in them they have more power to confirme the truth that they delivered that it came from the great God of heaven and earth than if a man should arise from the dead if we consider the many miracles which they did and holy life which they led Object But if you will say that indeed for the declaring of things and for the confirmring of truths there is more evidence in these than if one did arise from the dead but if one should come from the dead this would be much to shew the eternitie of things and the immortality of the soule Answ. If this be so you see that men have risen from the dead as when Christ did arise then many arose from the dead THE THIRD SERMON HEBREWES 11.6 He that commeth to God must beleeve that God is c. NOw we proceed to that which remaines we will shew you how this point is made manifest to you by faith that GOD made the Heavens and the Earth It is done after this manner When you beleeve the Scriptures to be true and finde this set downe in the Scripture that God made Heaven and Earth then you beleeve that there is an eternall Deity that is the Author and Maker of all these things and thus faith gathers the conclusion Object If you aske me how faith differs from reason and how this second proofe differs from the former Answ. 1 I answer after this manner There is a double assent One is a doubtfull assent which we call Opinion that is when we assent to the one part so as we feare the contrary to be true The other is a firme assent and this is two-fold Either it is grounded upon reason which we call Knowledge or else is grounded upon the authoritie of him that reveales it and this wee call Faith And the difference of them stands in this The objects of the first which wee call Knowledge are naturall things such as God did not reveale himselfe but they lye before us and reason can finde them out but Faith beleeveth things that are revealed by God yet so as that there is no reason for them as well as for the other For if one come and tell you any thing and if you beleeve it you can give a reason of it and why you beleeve it aswell as of any other naturall conclusion as that he is a wise man and one that I know will tell the truth
I have had experience of him heretofore c. Even so when you beleeve the Scriptures you can give a reason for it it is because God delivered it and he cannot lye but now how doe yee know that God delivered it Because the men that delivered it in his Name did confirme it by workes and miracles and predictions of times so that reason runnes along together with Faith Onely there is this difference betweene them Faith addeth to the eye of reason and raiseth it higher for the understanding is conversant as about things of reason so about things of Faith for they are propounded to the understanding onely they are above it and must have faith to reveale them as when Moses saith In the beginning GOD made the Heaven and the Earth when we heare such a proposition reason doth but looke upon it and cannot see it at first but Faith helpeth reason to goe further therefore Faith is but an addition to the strength of reason when it could goe no further Faith makes it to goe further as one that hath dimme eyes he can see better with the help of spectacles even so doth the eye of reason by a supernaturall faith infused So that all the things which we beleeve have a credibilitie and entity in them and they are the objects of the understanding but we cannot finde them out without some supernaturall help As if you would choose a right jewell you know there are many counterfeit ones how should you know a true one The stander by cannot tell but brings it to a Lapidary or a Ieweller and he knowes it because he is skilled in it Now as there are the Iewels and they are to be discerned and differenced but all lyes in the skill So is it in the things that are revealed by God and by naturall reason to know which are of God which not there are the things and they are to be seene yea the things themselves have characters by which they may bee discerned but let two men looke upon them one beleeves and the other doth not one man goes no further than reason but the other doth the reason is because one is helped from above and the other is not he wants that light that habit of skill which another hath Now this being premised in generall let us see how faith gathers that the Scriptures are true and that all that is in them is true and consequently that there is a God that made the world It gathers it by these three heads When a man lookes into the Scriptures and sees the phrases of the Prophets and Apostles saying Thus saith the Lord he considers if this be from God then it must needs be true But now the question is whether it was delivered truly and therefore hee lookes upon the men that did deliver it as upon Moses c. and if he can finde any evidence in them that they delivered it truly without collusion then he beleeveth that it is so and so faith layes hold and pitches upon it and gives solide assent unto it Now the proofes whereby we shew that these men have spoken by the Holy Ghost are these three The miracles which they wrought wherein this is to be considered that they were such miracles as were done before many witnesses they were not done in a corner where two or three were and so related to the people as many false miracles are but they were done before many thousand as the standing still of the Sunne the plagues of Aegypt the dividing of the waters the Mannah that came downe from Heaven the water flowing out of the rockes the miracles that were wrought by Eliah and Elisha they were all openly done in the view of all the people They were such miracles as had a reality in them false miracles stand onely in appearance they have onely a shadow and not the substance they have no solidity in them as the miracles that Inchanters doe they are but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as wee call them they are onely appearances and no more as if they give money it will afterwards prove but drie leaves and such were the miracles of the Inchanters in Aegypt but looke upon the miracles of Moses they were solide as the Mannah fed the people many yeares the water that came out of the rockes did refresh them the plagues of Aegypt were reall the miracles of Christ were all of use to mankinde as when he turned water into wine it was such as they were refreshed by so when hee healed the people when he gave sight to the blinde they were all usefull and had a reality in them Besides consider the miracles which were wrought at the delivery of the Law Exod. 19. as the thunder the lightning the sound of trumpets c. whatsoever was done then all the people saw it and their senses were taken up about it so that they could not be deceived The lawes that Numa Pompilius brought from the gods he related to them but the people saw and heard nothing but these miracles the people all saw the Mount burnt with fire and thick darknesse round about it and there was thunder and lightning and the Mount trembled And as their eyes did see 〈◊〉 things so their eares were busied In hearing the voice of the trumpets sounding louder and louder a great while and hearing the voice of God himselfe And this was not done only in the sight of the Elders of Israel but all the people saw it and heard the voice of the Lord. And such were all the miracles of the Apostles and of all the Prophets And this argues that they came from God himselfe because they could not be done but by a supernaturall power Againe I will adde to this the prophecies for that is one of the wayes by which the Lord confirmes his word unto the sonnes of men Isa. 41.22 23. Shew to us the things to come that we may know that you are Gods c. As if hee should say If any man be able to foretell things to come he is God for it is the propertie of God alone and therefore he can doe it Now I will name some prophecies to instance in and I will shew the difference betweene them and the predictions of Southsayers for you shall finde that these prophecies were Particular and not generall they were Perspicuous and plaine and not obscure and they had fixed times set and not left at randome As in the prophecie delivered to Abraham that the Children of Israel should be strangers and in bondage in Aegypt foure hundred yeares now saith the Text that very night they went forth of Aegypt the foure hundred yeares were expired Moreover that prophecie that Iudah should have the Scepter it was a thing could not be foreseene Iudah was not the elder brother and it was long first before it was brought to passe therefore Moses could not see it by any thing at
their hands And Paul that was the meanes of converting so many thousands he ascribes nothing to himselfe but it was the grace of GOD that was with him So Samson was strong but yet he had his strength from God and therefore this is an argument that the Scriptures were written by holy men inspired by the Holy Ghost Seeing we have such just ground to beleeve that there is a GOD that made Heaven and Earth and that this word which testifies of him is indeed the word of GOD. This use we are to make of it that it might not be in vaine to us it should teach us to confirme this first principle and make it sure seeing all the rest are built upon it therefore we have reason to weigh it that we may give full consent to it and not a weake one Object But you will say this is a principle that needs not to be thus urged or made question of therefore what need so many reasons to prove it Answ. Even the strongest amongst us have still need to increase our faith in this point and therefore we have cause to attend to it and that for these two reasons Because these principles though they be so common yet there is a great difference in the beleefe of the Saints and that with which common men beleeve them the difference is in these foure things both of them doe beleeve and they speak as they thinke yet you shall find this difference A regenerate man hath a further and a deeper insight into these truths he gives a more through and a stronger assent to them but another man gives a more slight and overly assent that faith with which they beleeve them is a faith that wants depth of earth therefore if any strong temptation comes upon them as feare of being put to death c. they are soone shaken off and doe often fall away when they are put to it they shrink away in time of persecution for their faith wants depth of earth that is the assent they give to the Scripture is but an overly and superficiall assent it doth not take deep root in their soule and therefore it withers in time of temptation they doe not so ponder them as others doe and therefore they are not so grounded in these first principles as others are though they have some hold 〈◊〉 yet not so great a hold as the godly have So as they are not so firmely established so grounded in the present truth they are not so rooted as the Saints are That which breeds this assent in them is but a common gift of the Holy Ghost but that with which the Saints beleeve them is a speciall grace infused wrought by the Holy Ghost now that which hath a weaker cause must needs have a weaker effect that which is wrought by a common cannot be so strong an assent as that which is wrought by an infused habit of the Holy Ghost therefore the faith of the Saints is stronger than the faith of the wicked The Saints the regenerate men build their hope comfort and happinesse upon the truth of these principles as that there is a GOD that rules Heaven and Earth and that the Scriptures are his Word and whatsoever is in them is truth they build all upon these therfore if any doubts arise they can never be at rest till faith hath resolved them and wrought them out with another man it is not so he takes these things upon trust and beleeves them as others do but he doth not much trouble himselfe about them and therfore if any doubts come against them he suffers them to lye there and goes on in a carelesse manner But with the Saints it is not so they building their hope upon them doe therefore resolve to suffer any thing for God they will be content to lose all for Him if occasion requires and therefore they are upon sure ground but the other they doe but receive upon trust and therefore they doe not cleave to him in that manner that the Saints doe Regenerate men have a lively and experimentall knowledge that there is a GOD and that the Scriptures are his Word from the communion that they have had with this God and from the experience they have had of the truths delivered in the Scripture They know very well and that experimentally what difference there was betweene what they were once and what they are now what it is to envie the Saints and what it is to have an affection of love to them they know the time when they slighted sinne when they made no reckoning of it they know againe the bitternesse and sorrow of sin when the commandement came and shewed it unto them in its colours they know a time when they judged perversely of the wayes of God when they had a bad opinion of them and how now they are changed besides they know how that once they did admire and magnifie worldly excellencie and preferment but since they were inlightned their opinion is otherwise I say they know all this experimentally Take the whole worke of regeneration they know it in themselves and so for God himselfe as hee is described in the Scriptures such have they found him to themselves Now where a man doth know things thus experimentally it is another kinde of knowledge than that which is by heare-say so that though there is a beleefe in them both yet there is a great difference betweene them We must labour to confirme our faith in these principles because they are of exceeding great moment and consequence in the lives of men though they seeme to be remote yet they are of more moment than any other as of a house you see a faire top but yet the foundation is of more moment and that cannot be seene the streames are seene but the Well-head cannot so all the actions of the lives of men are built upon these principles and as they are more strongly or weakly beleeved so have they more or lesse influence into the hearts and lives of men As take a man that beleeves fully that there is a GOD and that the Scriptures are his Word this breeds an unresistable resolution to serve and please him notwithstanding all oppositions he meets with Take the greatest things that use to daunt men as take a man that is to die if he considers that there is a God with whom he is to live for ever what is death then no more than the stones flying about Stevens eares when he beheld the heavens opened so when men speake against him and slander him when they scoffe and revile him and trample upon him yet if God be with him he can boldly say I care not for mans day nor for the speaking against of sinners he is not moved a whit with them they passe away as a vapour that moves him not so when hee sees the current of the times to runne against him yet when he
converted many It is not in vaine that phrase of the Scripture hee was a man full of faith and therefore many were added to the Lord. And you shall finde it by experience when you converse with worldly men they will be readie on every occasion to attribute the event of things to naturall causes but the godly they ascribe it to God Now good words strengthen our faith but the evill words of naturall men they corrupt good manners And not only the words of the godly worke so but the very manner of the delivery of it is emphaticall for they doe beleeve it themselves now if a man deliver an history that he beleeves he will deliver it in such a manner that hee will make others beleeve it also Act. 14.1 They so spake that a great multitude of the Iewes beleeved that is in such a manner that many were turned to the faith Iunius professeth in his life that the very first thing that turned him from his Atheisme was the talking with a country-man of his not farre from Florence and his manner of expressing himselfe The next was the majesty of the Scripture which he observed in Ioh. 1. but the other was the beginning of it So it will still be true that walking with godly men will increase our faith but with worldly men it will weaken it Therefore use all these meanes to strengthen these principles in you for they will have many excellent effects in your lives As When a man beleeves this throughly he will take the judgement of the Scripture against his owne fancy and the opinions of men with which we are still ready to be misled so that when the Scripture saith of riches that they are nothing whereas before thou thoughtest them to be a strong tower now you thinke them to be but a staffe of reed so of sinfull lusts that are so pleasant to us the Scripture saith of them that they fight against the soule though they are sweet for the present yet they are sowre in the latter end so that thou takest the judgement of the Scripture against thy own reason So for the praise of men see what the Scripture saith he is praise-worthy whom God praiseth so thou judgest vaine-glory to be but a bubble I say if you could beleeve this throughly you would set the judgement of the Scripture against your owne reasons and the opinions of men Besides this it will breed a notable fervencie in prayer when a man knoweth that there are such promises it will make him never give over it will make him watch and pray continually with all perseverance though many times hee prayeth and hath no answer as the woman of Canaan yea though he hath sometimes a contrary answer and effect to what he asketh yet when he hath laid hold on the promises he will not let goe he will never give over hee knowes Hee who hath promised is faithfull therefore he is not like a wave of the sea tossed up and downe with every wind But it is not onely a ground of all this but it brings forth the effect it doth exceedingly strengthen our faith in matters of justification for it is certaine that the same faith whereby we beleeve and apply the promises of salvation through Christ it is the same faith whereby we beleeve the Scripture and that there is a God that made both Heaven and Earth There is no difference in the faith yea that justifying faith by which thou art saved it ariseth from the beleefe of these principles as it was the same eye whereby the Israelites did see the mountaines and trees and other objects and by which they saw the brazen Serpent No man beleeves justification by Christ but his faith is mainly grounded upon this Word of God for whereas in Scripture we finde that IESVS CHRIST is come in the flesh and that he is a Lambe slaine for forgivenesse of sinnes that he is offered to every creature that a man must thirst after him and then take up his Crosse and follow him Now come to a beleever going out of the world and aske him what hope hee hath to be saved and what ground for it he will be ready to say I know that Christ is come into the world and that he is offered and I know that I am one of them that have a part in him I know that I have fulfilled the conditions as that I should not continue willingly in any knowne sinne that I should love the LORD IESVS and desire to serve him above all I know that I have fulfilled these conditions I say if the ground whereon our faith is builded be the Word then it is builded on a sure rocke and the gates of hell Satan and all his temptations shall not prevaile against it but against a strong fancie it may Therefore let us labour to strengthen our faith in these principles that there is a GOD that made Heaven and Earth and that the Scripture is his Word whereby his minde is revealed to us that so you may know what his will is and what to expect of him upon all occasions There is one thing which remaines in this point which we added in the third place That that God which we worship is this GOD for either it is that God whom we worship or else there is no true God in the world we are to propound it negatively to take away all other false religions For if there was ever a God revealed in the world he was the God of the Iewes and if he was the God of the Iewes then of the Christians and if of the Christians then surely of the Protestants and not the Papists for they doe in most points adde to the garment of Christ and the Protestants doe but cut off what thy have added before and if of the Protestants then surely of those that doe make conscience of their wayes that doe not live loosely but doe labour to please him in all things THE FIFTH SERMON ISAI 46.9 Remember the former things of old for I am GOD and there is none else I am GOD and there is none like mee THe third thing which remains is this that there is no other GOD and it is an argument which is often used in Scripture to prove that the Lord is God because there is none besides him for so you are to understand it I am GOD because there is no other this particle is so used many times Esay 45.22 I am GOD and there is none else there is none beside me and this shewes the falsenesse of all other gods and all other religions and the argument stands thus That if you looke to all former times you shall see that there was never any other God or any other religion but this which wee professe There are two arguments set downe in the Text 1 Remember the former times and you shall alwayes finde it thus that there is none besides mee 2 There is none like