unto her I am the Resurrection and the Life c. As if he should have said thou grantest that I can raise him up at the last Day but how Is it not by Vertue of that Union that is between his dead Body and my living Body If then I will be his Life and therefore his Resurrection I am now his Life and consequently can be now his Resurrection I shall add that Argument the Lord the Holy Ghost the Spirit of Life abides and dwells in a Believer for ever in his Body as well as his Soul 1 Cor. 6.19 What know ye not that your Body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you c. If it be granted then that he does still indwell in the separate Soul of the Believer why not in a sense in the separate Body too He brooded formerly over the Chaos till it was formed into a beautiful Creation and why not in like manner over the Dust till the appointed time of actual Life by the Father comes but 4. NATURAL Death tends to an utter Abolition Natural Death in it self tends to an utter Consumption of the Body and that by Steps retrograde to the Methods of the first Creation First There was a Chaos created and then that disposed and disgested into a very beautiful and lovely Frame but Death deals thus with Man the Epitome of the Creation reduces the fair Structure to a Chaos or Heap of Dust and then commits it to the Grave to annihilate it And so would the Bodies of Sinners be annihilated especially in the universal Conflagration but that as has been afore mentioned the God of Nature by his infinite Power preserves and sits them to be Vessels of Wrath for Destruction and at last raises them that they might be for ever miserable Companions to their miserable Souls on which he might make the Power of his Vengeance known to all Eternity That as the Body has been a a Companion to the Soul in sinning so it shall be World without end in suffering But as to the Bodies of the Saints it is otherwise Death only sows their Bodies into the Ground that they might be quickned again into more glorious Bodies 1 Cor. 15.36 37. compare with 42 43. c. And pulls down the old tottering House that it may be built up a more glorious Fabrick in the Day of Resurrection and they shall arise then from the refining Alembick of the Grave with several wonderful Advantages especially these five 1. THEN Corruptibility shall put on Incorruptibility 1 Cor. 15.53 For this Corruptible must put on Incorruption and when thrown into the Grave corruptible Bodies then shall be raised incorruptible V. 42. Sown in Corruption raised in Incorruption The Bodies of the Saints shall have no tendency to decay any more no more shall the Bodies of the Wicked but here will be the Difference the Bodies of the Saints will be unpassible and will not be capable of suffering Pains but the Bodies of the Wicked though not apt to decay yet will be the Seat of eternal Pains and Torments 2. Then Immortal shall put on Immortality 1 Cor. 15.53 54. And the Bodies of the Saints sown mortal shall rise immortal There will be no dying in the new Jerusalem above nor decaying nor fading but Bodies as well as the Spirits of the Just being made perfect shall endure the same in that glorious State to all Eternity 'T is true the Bodies of Unbelievers shall never die more but their Living and Continuing will be a constant Dying They will be dying to all eternity but never absolutely die and happy would it be for them if they could altogether cease to be But on the Bodies of Believers the second Death can have no Power at all As for instance The last Enemy that Christ will destroy for them will be Death 1 Cor. 15.26 And then Death will be swallowed up in Victory 1 Cor. 15.54 3. THEN natural Flesh will put on Spirit 1 Cor. 15.44 It is sown a natural Body it is raised a spiritual Body There is a natural Body and there is a spiritual Body Not that these natural Bodies in the Saints shall be turned into the very Essence of Spirits but they shall come as near their Natures as 't is possible for corporeal Substances to come So says our Lord himself in answer to the Sadduces Cavil Mat 22.30 For in the Resurrection they neither marry nor are given in Marriage but are as the Angels of God in Heaven i. e. They shall be as near to the Nature of Angels as is possible They will be of a purer and more incompound Substance than the purest Elements of Fire They will be endued then with wonderful agility and celerity and their motion surpassing swift probably they will fly then as swift as Thoughts We experience that our Thoughts now speed in an instant to the farthermost Regions of the Earth whilst the heavy Log of a Body stays behind and can go no faster than its Legs can carry it or some more artificial means But doubtless then our Bodies that believe will be fitted to keep pace with our glorified Souls in all their Motions for the Glory of God in Christ not hindred by Sicknesses and Ails nor made slow with any weakness imperfection or mutilation The Sun is swift in his race but what is his race compared to that of the glorified Bodies of the Saints then Fourthly DISHONOUR then will put on Honour and that that is sown in Dishonour will be raised in Glory 1 Cor. 15.43 Then they will be in part clothed with the Glory that is upon the Body of an exalted Jesus 'T is true there will be difference in degrees though not in kind For as there is one Glory of the Sun another Glory of the Moon and another Glory of the Stars For one Star differeth from another Star in Glory 1 Cor. 15.41 So the Glory on the Body of Christ will be as the Glory of the Sun and the Glory of the Bodies of his Children like the Glory of the Stars all shining in Brightness Splendour and Majesty though not equally alike When Christ appeared with Moses and Elias in the Transfiguration on the Mount the Glory then on his Body is set forth as in a Glass His Face did shine as the Sun and his Rayment was white as the Light Mat. 17.2 So will the risen Bodies of the Saints be shining brighter than the Sun whiter than the purest Light That that is sown in Dishonour as afore hinted will be raised in Glory They that are laid in the Earth little Infants will be raised in full growth and perfect statureâ— they that be entombed decrepit old and deformed shall rise again well-shaped vigorous and beautiful They that drop to the Grave poor tattered Servants and Slaves shall come out from thence rich free and illustrious greater than Kings and Emperours Then indeed in a literal sense the Eyes of the Blind shall be opened the Ears of
divide this general Doctrine into Two Branches and speak to each part The First is this THAT a Believer in the Moment of his Death can Triumph over Death in reference to his Soul FIRST as the Lord shall enable me I will prove this Truth and then explain and illustrate it FOR Proof I shall only at present give you two places of Scripture Rev. 14.13 And I heard a Voice from Heaven saying unto me Write Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their Labours and their Works do follow them Where First you have the Truth plainly asserted Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord or in dying in the Lord. 2ly The Reasons of it 1. They rest from their Labours 2. Their Works follow them i. e. They will meet with their Prayers and Duties entered on the File for their review as an additional to their eternal Delights 3. You have here insinuated the Certainty and Importance of this Truth 1. The Commandment to write they are weighty things usually committed to Ink and Paper and that for duration also Littera Scripta manet 2. The Commander the Spirit I heard a Voice from Heaven saying write c. THE second place is Heb. 4 19. There remaineth therefore a Rest to the People of God Their rest is not in this World but in another and they enter upon it in the moment of Death therefore they have then ground of triumphing I shall add to these the Experiences of Three Worthies The first was David's 2 Sam. 23.5 Althô my House be not so with God yet he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure For this is all my Salvation and all my Desire althô he make it not to grow David was now on the brink of Eternity taking a view of the past and present Disorders of his House and Heart yet rejoyces and triumphs in the view of the Covenant of Grace and his Interest in it and the influence it had on the Eternity he was entring into The second was that of faithful Stephen that glorious Proto-Martyr who when the Stones that dashed out his Brains and Life flew about his Ears cryed out triumphantly Lord Jesus receive my Spirit Acts 7.59 THE last I shall mention is the Experience of the blessed Apostle Paul Phil. 1.23 For I am in a straight betwixt two having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better But very pat and pertinent to the purpose 2 Cor. 5.1 c. He being harrassed with Labours Perils and Sufferings at the apprehension of the time of his departure being at hand triumphs thus v. 1. For we know that if our earthly House of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a Building of God an House not made with Hands eternal in the Heavens HAVING thus from the Holy Scriptures of Truth proved the Doctrine I shall proceed to the explication of it 'T IS undeniable That Contraries do the better illustrate one another as black Spots make a white Skin shine the brighter and a Black-a-Moor is a Foil to set off an European Therefore I shall illustrate this Truth by another Contrary that I might the more emphatically explain it which is this The triumph of Death over an Unbeliever and thus lay down the Doctrine to be explained DEATH in Death triumphs over the Unbeliever and the Believer triumphs over Death in dying I shall begin with the first Branch viz. Death in Death triumphs over the Unbeliever and as the Spirit of the Lord shall assist me shew you in what respects 1. DEATH triumphs over the Unbeliever's sensual Pleasures Where are now says Death your vain Pleasures that you wantonly rolled your self in in your life time What are become of those jolly merry frolicksom hours that you lavish'd away with your frothy Companions Where are now your drunken Cups and Glasses and your riotous Feasts with which you so often drowned and glutted your sensual Appetite What do they profit you now What pleasure do you find now from your former repeated acts of Lusts and Beastliness What relish now from those brutish tickling of swinish Delights What does all your vain Merriment avail you now What fruit have you from those Things that formerly you reckoned your Heaven and Happiness Instead of Pleasures you now shall have your belly full of everlasting Torments Now your merry Moments are turned into an eternity of Sorrows Now instead of swimming in Wine and luxuriously feeding on Dainties you shall swim world without end in fiery Streams of burning Brimstone You shall drink your Tears and feed on your own tortur'd Flesh in endless and never-ceasing Misery Now the flame of your Lust is succeeded by a hotter flame even the flame of divine Vengeance Now instead of your frothy Spirit and vain Laughter you shall have enough of howling weeping and gnashing of Teeth Nay you shall carry with you all your Lusts and Corruptions to Hell not to please you but to pain you The same Water that the Fish swims in with delight if beated over the Fire will be the Fish's torment THE Sins you acted with pleasure in the World you shall act the same in great measure in Hell but to your eternal torturing You shall there act your Revenges but wound none with its poison'd Arrows but your own Soul You shall there have your covetous Desires enlarged as wide as the Hell you are in but it will only be your pain and punishment Your own Lusts there shall be the Flames that will scorch you Come thou trembling Wretch will Death say to the place of sinning and the place of punishment and thy very sinning shall be thy punishment Oh! then will Death insult in the words of the Wise-man Whatsoever thine Eyes desired thou keptest not from them Thou withheldest not thy Heart from any Joy Eccles 2.10 And now all will be Vanity and Vexation of Spirit to thee part of v. 11. And also in those Words as are written Luke 12.19 Thou hast long said to thy Soul Soul take thine ease eat drink and be mâ—rry But thou Fool I am come this Night to require thy Soul of thee part of v. 20. And to add no more Death will only change the Moods and Tenses in that portion of holy Writ Eccles 11.9 insulting thus Thou hast rejoyced Oh! Young Man in thy youth and thy Heart has cheered thee in the days of thy youth Thou hast walked in the ways of thine heart and in the sight of thine Eyes but know thou now thou trembling Wretch that for these things I am sent by the God of Justice to bring thee into Judgment CONSIDER this thou voluptuous sensual Wretch thou Drunkard thou Belly-slave thou unclean Beast thou Blasphemer thou Swearer thou Reveller and Persecuter consider this and ponder it in thy Heart thou must ' ere long come upon a Death-bed this greisly King of Terrors will stare thee in the
says the Lord Isa 57.19 I create the Fruit of the Lips Peace I speak Peace to them that are a afar off viz. in a Natural State and to them that are nigh viz. them that are made Eph. 2.13 nigh to my Father by my Blood But over all such white washed painted Pharisees will insulting Death Glory thus Thou Pharisaical Fool thou refusedst Fire from God's Altar viz. the Lord Jesus Joh. 5.40 Thou wouldst not come to him that thou mightest have Life but thou hast kindled a Fire of thine own nay like Nadab and Abihu hast brought strange Fire Isa 50.11 Thou hast compassed thy self about with sparks Thou hast walked in the Light of thy Fire and of the Sparks that thou hast Kindled This thou shalt have now at God's Hand by my Dart to lye down in a Bed of Eternal Sorrows Thou wer 't for digging to thy self a Way to Heaven and hast refused the Heb. 10.2 New and living way that the God and Father of Christ had consecrated that is to say the Flesh of Jesus or his suffering raised glorified human nature and though Isa 57.10 Thou wast wearied in the greatness of thine own way and hast often tryed in vain with thine own Doings and Works of the Law and couldest not but in spight of thy Teeth the Fire of Hell that was in thy Conscience would be often blazng-out yet saidest thou not there is no hope but wouldst be still hoping for Life from the Dead unprofitable Works of the Law Thus thou didst sind the Life of thine hands therefore thou wast not then grieved but still didst stifle all thy convictions But now thou shalt grieve and eternally grieve without intermission now thou wilt not be able to stifle thy convictions but they will tend and tear thy Soul with unspeakable horrors for ever and ever NOW Psa 16.4 Thy Sorrous shall be multipled that didst hasten after other Gods and other Idol Righteousnesses Thou leftest no stone unturned no way of working unessaied to procure warmth and life to thy Soul Isa 57.5 Thou didst enflame thy self with Idols under every Green-Tree and didst let thy Heart run out for Holiness and Salvation upon every Branch of in it self beautiful morality Isa 57.6 Among the smooth Stones of the Stream was thy Portion they were thy lot even to them thou hast procured a Drink-Offering c. i. e. Thou hast set up thy Duties for Saviours hast trusted in them and so fallen down and Worshipped them Isa 57.7 Vpon a Lofty and High Mountain hast thou set thy Bed Even thither wentest thou up to offer Sacrifice i. e. Thou didst confide in thy splendid towring Profession and didst make a God and Saviour thereof The 10. v. of this Chapter is a Key to open the the rest of the Chapter by laying the whole stress of thy Soul upon thy outward Profession without Faith in Jesus Isa 57.8 Behind the Doors also and the Posts hast thou set thy rememberance i. e. And hast set up a Record within thy self for the Goodness of thy Estate from thy Family and Closet Prayers things good in themselves but become Idols of Indignation when advanced into the Room and Throne of the Mediator Isa 57.8 Thou hast discovered thy self to others then to Christ and art gone up but thou wouldst not come to Jesus that thou mightest have Life What are now become of thy Doings thy Works and thy Righteousness Isa 57.12 I will declare thy Righteousness and thy Works for now they shall not profit thee Cry now to thy Morality and Reformation lift up thy suppliant hands to thy Duties and Profession Cry aloud to thy Prayers and Tears thy convictions and thy terrors of Conscience Fall prostrate to thy wishings and to thy wouldings and thy desires to desire to have thy Sin inwardly mortified under the obstinate refusals of Christ and his righteousness And try these thy Idol Saviours whether they will now hear thee Isa 57.13 When thou cryest let thy companies of Saviours deliver thee but the wind now carries them all away and vanity takes them Hadst thou trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ thou shouldest now have Isa 57.13 possessed the Land and shouldest have inherited his holy Mountain even the everlasting Hills in the Highest Heavens But now thy Mountains of self righteousnesses which thou wentest up to to offer Sacrifice to set thy Bed and to build thy Nests upon and which thou thoughtest eternally strong I thrash them to dust and my breath blows them away like chass All thy Pharisaical Doings do now leave thee and nothing of them goes with thee to Hell but the unpleasant rememberance thereof to torment thee that thou wast such a Madman to set up these instead of Christ the only Saviour as if thy good Duties good Professions good Frames and good Priviledges had undertook for thee from eternity had obeyed the Law for thee with a God-like Obedience and suffered the cursed death of the Cross for thee were raised up again and by the Fathers right hand were exalted to be Princes and Saviours to give repentance and remission of sins and were now ever living at the Fathers right hand to make intercession for thee Why callest thou these good Saviours There is none good in that sense but he that is God Thus I say will Death then insult in the dying moment and glory over and tread under foot like Dogs-meat all the ragged Righteousnesses of Men and Women THEN consider it seriously thou that with the Pharisee in the Gospel gloryest before the Lord that thou art not as other Men an Extortioner Vnjust an Adulterer or even as the Publicans and Sinners and layest hold on this for eternal Life Thy Conscience is not purged but choked and bribed with false Counters of outward Reformation The unclean Spirit of Debauchery may be has been cast out and thou thinkest that enough but the Spirit of the Lord the Gospel-sanctifier has not been there at work for he walked through dry places The Rest and Peace of Conscience thou hast obtained are not right for 't is written he sought for rest and found none The House i. e. Thy Person has been swept by Reformation and garnished with a fine Profession But 't is but the strong-hold of wicked Spirits still 'T is empty of the Spirit of the Lord. The Holy Ghost has had no in-dwelling there at all therefore the unclean debauch'd Spirit transformed into an Angel of Light with seven other Spirits more wicked than himself not more unclean than himself but more wicked a compleat Number of evil Spirits i. e. the Devil of unbelief and spiritual Pride two great Legions have returned and entered into thee and if the Lord does not pity thee and discover the rotteness of thine Estate to thee Thy last state will be worse than the first Ah! deluded Soul Thou wouldst heal thy Conscience with thine own Medicines thou wouldst cover thy self with thine own Righteousness thou wouldst lay thy self down on thine
own Bed of eternal Happiness thou wouldst climb up to Heaven by thine own Methods and find out a way for thy self to eternal Glory But thou will find in Death thy Plaisters will not stick Isa 28.20 Thy covering will be too narrow for thy Soul to wrap it self in Thy Bed too short for it to stretch it self upon thy Ladder unlike Jacobs will not reach to Heaven Thy own way to Glory how fair soever a Prospect it may have at first does so wind and turn that at last it will lead directly down to the Chambers of eternal Death I should have improved this Branch in several uses but having done somewhat of that under every Head I shall only now answer a Question which I suppose some if not many may be ready to ask under the Conviction of their miserable and lost Estate by Nature May be some now under present awakenings are enquiring Q. WHAT shall I do to be saved Ans I answer in the Words of the Apostles Acts 16.31 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved c. Obj. WHAT nothing else but believe on Christ That I do already and did it ever since I was born and so do all that are not Turks and Pagans Ans I answer First They that say they believed ever since they were born never yet believed at all Rea. FOR Faith grows not in Nature's Garden neither is it born with us But it is the Gift of God Ehp. 2.8 and 't is written Phil. 1.29 For unto you it is given on the behalf of Christ not only to believe on him c. Whence observe that to believe on the Lord Jesus must be given from above Therefore 't is not born with us Ans THEY that think Believing an easy thing I dare engage never yet believed FOR Reas Nothing less than the Almighty Power of God in Christ can work this Faith in us even the same Power that created the World must be put forth to an Act of Faith 2 Cor. 4.6 God who commanded the Light to shine out of Darkness viz. in the Creation of the World Gen. 1.3 hath shined in our Hearts to give the light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ Whence observe That to believe is to have a view of the Glory of the Eternal Godhead especially of the Glory of the Father's Grace and Goodness shining through Jesus of Nazareth 2. That this Divine Beam of eternal Light is infused into the Soul by the same powerful Command that sent down the creating Light to inform the dark Chaos God who commanded Light to shine out of Darkness c. Nay a greater Power must be put forth to an Act of Faith than to the World's Creation because in the World's Creation there was no Opposition though there was Indisposition but in the sinful Soul where Faith is wrought there is Indisposition and Opposition too Ans 3. They that do not painfully feel the Evil of indwelling Unbelief never knew what Faith meant John 16.7 8 9 10 11. there when the Spirit is said to convince of Judgment and of Righteousness he is said to convince of Vnbelief too And where-ever Faith is the contrary Principle of Unbelief rises always to oppose it Rom. 7.15 to the end Gal. 4.22 to the end chiefly v. 29. where though the Apostle speaks chiefly in both places of the contrary effects of the working Law and the working Gospel in the same enlightned Conscience yet the mutual opposition and warring of Faith and Unbelief is also especially included I apprehend that to be a typical instance of this spoke of to Rebeccas Gen. 25.23 Two Nations are in thy Womb c. This is evident That no sooner a grain of saving Faith is sown in the Soul but Unbelief that afore lurked undiscovered in the Soul rises instantly in Arms to war against it Ans 4. They that are under no influence of the indwelling Spirit have no Faith Rom. 8.9 Now if any Man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his and he that is not in Christ has not a drachm of Faith They that have the Spirit walk after the Spirit v. 1. and are led by the Spirit v. 14. they mind the things of the Spirit v. 5. and their mortal Bodies are quickned because of the Spirit of Christ that dwelleth in them v. 11. Now they that are never spiritually but carnally minded that know nothing what the indwelling of the Spirit means nor his blessed Influences and Operations but are so far from knowing all these that they reproach and blaspheme his blessed Person and Operations as Whimsies heat of Brain Fanaticism Enthusiasm and the like how can it be said That such Enemies of the Spirit have the Spirit And if they have not the Spirit they are not only wholly ignorant of but utter Enemies to the Grace of Faith Ans 5. Dare the Drunkard the Swearer the Blasphemer the Sabbath-breaker the prophane ignorant carnal vile Person say he has Faith His prophanity enmity and wickedness always give him the Lye to his teeth and his sinful practice is an undoubted Test of the badness of his Faith and that he professes a Lye when he professes Faith in Jesus Shew me says the Apostle Jam. 2.18 thy Faith without thy Works and I will shew thee my Faith by my Works The Heart is purified by Faith Acts 15.9 Nay Faith sanctifies throughout Acts 26.18 Faith purifies the Conversation 'T is this Grace of God this great Grace of Faith that teaches us That denying Vngodliness and worldly Lusts we should live soberly reghteously nnd godly in this present World Tit. 2.11 12. Nay let me tell you that such have no more Faith in Christ than Turks or Heathens They have no more of Christ and his Righteousness than the chiming of Words in their Heads and the sound of Phrases rolling in their Memories They have heard of one Jesus Christ and that is all but they know him not As to any Soul Bellef and Conscience Persuasion concerning him his pardoning Grace and his Righteousness they have as little as the very Heathens that never heard of his Name But they are worse than the Heathens because they abuse his holy Name to patronize their Lust and wickedness Object 2. BUT I can shew my Faith by my Works I reform hear pray meditate weep mourn for Sin and profess And have not I Faith then Ans THOU mayst do all these very commendable in themselves yet not growing on the root of Faith and as trusted in they are an abomination to the Lord. There is a vast difference between the Fruits of Holiness flowing from Faith and good Works set up instead of Christ the Object of Faith Thou mayst do all these and much more and yet make Saviours of them and so be void of saving Faith that looks to Jesus and him alone at God's Right Hand for Salvation and at last be damned for idolizing thy good Works
as well as others are for wallowing in their Lusts For all equally refuse the Lord Jesus and will have none of him for Life and Salvation but tread with like scorn and contempt the offered Son of God under-foot There 's not a Dram of Gospel-Holiness nor one Evangelical good Work but what flows from Faith in the Person and Righteousness of the once-crucified but now ascended Jesus at the Father's Right Hand Object 3. BUT for all my Reformation Duties and Profession I seek to Christ too Ans THAT is perhaps as the common Proverb runs You will set the Cart before the Horse Your Duties and Righteousness shall lead the Van and Christ and his Righteousness shall bring up the Reer You will put him to no other use than to carry the Train of your ragged Robes of Righteousness to patch up your Rags and make up what is wanting in your Duties But the Garment of Christ is seamless and cannot be divided but if it could be that his new Cloth could be pieced to your old the rent in yours would be the worse Mat. 9.16 Perhaps you are sensible of your inability to do therefore ye look to him for assistance to help you to do for Life But what says the Lord The Just shall live by Faith Rom. 1.17 You would have him be King over you to subdue your Iniquities that for your subdued Iniquities you may get to Heaven But you must look to him by Faith to be saved and then mortification of Sin and Holiness shall be given in unto you The High Priest under the Law had his Mitre and Crown on his Head and his Urim and Thummim on his Breast to typifie that the Lord Jesus executes his Kingly and Prophetical Office by his Priestly Office and all whom he instructs and subdues he does it by shedding in the Faith and Hope either more or less of their pardoned estate through his Blood into their Consciences Again Do not you seek Christ because of your Reformation Duties and Tears If so you bring your own Money in your Hands to buy Christ and that 's quite contrary to the Proclamation the Lord makes of Heaven's Market Isa 55.1 Ho every one that thirsteth that is after the Things of the World or their own Righteousness for 't is such thirsting as v. 2. calls spending Money for that which is not Bread and labour for that which satisfieth not These are summoned here to come to the Fair of the Almighty where glorious Commodities are put to sale Waters Wine and Milk But what price must the Buyers bring No price at all They that would speed in Heavens Market must come without Money and without price Heb. 12.13 Esau sought to buy Repentance with Tears but he found no place for it All buying in the meaning of Christ is but accepting and he gives the power to do that too Therefore come to Christ as poor blind miserable naked vile ungodly Wretches and and he will be Riches to the Poor Eyes to the Blind Happiness to the Miserable Cloathing to the Naked and Sanctification to the Vile and Ungodly The voice of the Gospel is for the present time 2 Cor. 6.2 Now is the accepted time behold now is the day of Salvation Heb. 3.15 To day if ye will hear his voice harden not your Hearts The Gospel does not say Go home now and pray and mourn and weep and come to morrow or next week or next month after you have prepared and qualified your self with so much praying mourning weeping repenting and reformation then come to Christ but come now now is the accepted time now is the day and hour of Salvation But further some may be ready to ask me Quest WHAT is believing in Christ or Faith in him Ans IT would be too tedious now to answer the Question as it ought to be I shall only briefly thus define it and then make good my Definition Faith as strictly and properly taken is a powerful Conscience-Perswasion wrought by God concerning Christ and his Things their excellency and suitableness to the Soul and more or less concerning the Souls Interest in them according to the Word of God Faith in the Original is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to perswade and really signifies a perswading 'T is phrased in Old Testament-language in Noah's Prophecy concerning his Children Gen. 9.17 God shall perswade Japheth and he shall dwell in the Tents of Shem. And to the same purport 't is phrased in the New Testament 't is said to be 2 Cor. 4.6 A light shining into a dark Heart which is a perswasive Knowledge Called Rom. 1.17 the Righteousness of God in the Gospel revealed from Faith to Faith 'T is named Rom. 3.21 a manifestation without the Law of the Righteousness of God v. 25. stiled a declaration of his Righteousness for the remission of Sins and defined to be Heb. 11.1 The evidence of Things not seen which are Christ and his Righteousness which are wholly without us not seen by our bodily Eyes or natural Reason or Understanding The Spirit in working Faith is said to take of Christ and his Things and shew them to the Soul John 11.14 15. God the Father as the Worker of it so is said to reveal his Son in the Soul Gal. 1.16 Which Expressions evidently import a perswasive Knowledge 2dly This Perswasion is an inward Conscience-Perswasion and not only an Head Knowledge or notional Perswasion Gal. 1.15 but when it pleased God c. v. 16. to reveal his Son in me c. 1 John 5.10 He that believeth hath the witness in himself i. e. a Conscience-Testimony 3dly This Conscience-Perswasion is very powerful for it instantly works a great change on the whole Man Heart Lip and Life 'T is a creating Power 2 Cor. 4.6 an exceeding great Power Eph. 1.19 and 't is the Declaration of the King of Heaven to the Conscience and where the Word of the King is there is Power Eccles 8.4 c. And as Divines say in this the Soul is wholly passive like a dark Room that has light let into it from without The object of this Faith is Christ and the Things of Christ as in that fore mentioned place John 16.14 He shall glorifie me for â—he shall receive of mine and shew it unto you v. 15. All things that the Father hath are mine therefore said I that he shall take of mine and shew it unto you The Rule of Faith is the written Word of God 2 Pet. 1.19 20 21. And this I take to be and Concomitants of this inward revelation of Jesus which are also called believing which is the Souls accepting of this manifested Jesus and his Righteousness venturing it self upon him and committing it self to him which Acts are set forth in Scripture by various phrases as Looking unto him Isa 45.22 Coming unto him John 6.37 Casting our selves and burden upon him Isa 55.22 Staying upon him Isa 5.10 Leaning upon him Cant. 8.3 Trusting